HIERONYMUS BOSCH

European painter and draughtsman Hieronymus Bosch is an enigma. Little is known about his life. Art historians can only identify 25 authentic Bosch paintings. Bosch was prevalent in the late middle ages, creating fantastic illustrations of religious concepts and narratives. His more notable works are Garden of Earthly Delights and The Temptation of St. Anthony. His striking, surreal imagery portrayed sins and idiocies of humankind, and their consequences imposed by higher powers. His work was largely dark and disturbing. Bosch is believed to have been born into an artistic family of painters. He might have been classically trained by a relative. He may have enjoyed some success in his lifetime, but certainly had more after his death. King Phillip II obsessively collected Bosch artworks. Today, a museum in Madrid holds many of his works.